• • • BRUCE Pest Control - PEST INDENTIFIER • • •

WOOD DESTROYING PEST	FOOD / INDOOR PEST	LAWN & SHRUB PEST
Carpenter ant major and minor workers Carpenter ants, are very widespread. Here a major worker is shown on the left while a minor worker is shown on the right. The ants of this genus are often fairly large, measuring up to 3/4 of an inch in length."	American Roach This is one of the largest of the common roaches found in the U.S. It often obtains a length of 1 1/2 inches. The American roach is a strong flier and both sexes have fully developed wings. Food storage and preparation areas, such as restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and houses, are often infested. The female roach can produce 6-14 egg capsules in one mating season. These capsules contain from 10 to 16 eggs each. Incubation for the eggs varies from 38 to 49 days, after which the young nymphs hatch.	Southern chinch bug This is the most important pest of St. Augustinegrass in Florida. Adults are 1/5" long and black with white patches on their wings. The nymphs range from 1/20" to nearly adult size. There are three generations per year in north Florida and seven to 10 in south Florida.
Formosan subterranean termite soldier and alate The Formosan subterranean termite is a well-known invasive species in the Southeastern US. The soldiers can be distinguished from those of most local subterranean termites by the shape of the head, which is more rounded in Formosan soldiers.	Earwig The European earwig is probably the most notorious household pest of this group. Many other species are found also, but generally they all bear a close resemblance. Earwigs are as offensive as roaches and produce a foul odor when crushed. They are especially serious in the winter since they like to enter warm houses. Temperature influences the duration of the egg and nymphal stages. Normally there are two broods of offspring, but usually only one generation each year.	Sod Web Worms This is the most common caterpillar attacking turfgrass. They attack all grasses, but Bermuda is preferred and Bahia is least desirable. The larvae are greenish with numerous black spots and are 3/4" long when mature. Grass damaged by web worms has notches chewed along the sides of the blades or is eaten back unevenly. They feed only at night and rest in a curled position on the soil surface during the day.
Powderpost termite soldier and alate Powderpost termites are characterized by their soldiers' defense strategy. The soldiers use there heads to block up tunnels from hostile intrusions. Powderpost termites are closely related to drywood termites.	German Roach This small, light-colored roach with the two prominent dark streaks on the thorax is perhaps the chief household pest today. The German roach is more active, produces more eggs and grows faster than other common roaches. The female German roach may produce four or five egg capsules containing up to 50 eggs each. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks. The nymphs mature into adults in 60-65 days. The life cycle can be completed in 3 months or less.	Mole Crickets Mole crickets are considered the most serious pest of turfgrass in Florida. Adults are about 1-1/2" long, light-brown, and have forelegs well adapted for tunneling through the soil. They damage all grasses, but Bahia and Bermuda grasses are their favorite hosts. Their damage is primarily mechanical: they tunnel through the soil near the surface, severing the roots and uprooting the grass.
Powderpost termite soldier and alate Powderpost termites are characterized by their soldiers' defense strategy. The soldiers use there heads to block up tunnels from hostile intrusions. Powderpost termites are closely related to drywood termites.	House Fly Flies are a nuisance around the home and their filthy habits contribute to the spread of certain disease organisms. The female housefly may lay up to 600 eggs in her lifetime, which may last for several weeks. The eggs hatch in 12 to 24 hours into tiny larvae. A complete cycle may be accomplished in 7 to 9 days, but actual duration depends directly on weather conditions.	Ground pearls They are related to mealybugs and are found throughout Florida. Each female lays about 100 eggs, which hatch into crawlers. The crawlers locate grass roots, feed, molt, shed their legs, and secrete a cream-colored, scaly covering which completely encloses their bodies. They become spherical and are gray or brown. They appear very much like small pearls. They insert their long, slender threadlike mouthparts into the grass roots to withdraw plant juices. The nymphs vary in size, ranging from a grain of sand to about 1/16" in diameter when they are mature.
Old house borer The old house borer, Hylotrupes bajulus, can cause severe damage to wood. Distinguishing features include the antennae, relatively short for cerambycid beetles, and the significant dorsoventral flattening.	Silverfish Unlike the firebrat this bright silvery cousin prefers cooler, more moist areas. Its diet is similar to the firebrat's. Since it does not like dryness or heat, it is less likely to be found in the heated home in the winter. At the optimum temperature of 72-80 degrees F., the females may lay up to 100 eggs in a lifetime. The life cycle may be completed in 3 to 4 months, but usually longer periods are required.	Mealybugs These are soft-bodied insects covered with white, powdery or cottony, waxlike material. Short wax projections extend from the margin of the body and some species have long filaments projecting from the rear of the body. They vary from 1/8" to 1/5" in length when mature. Mealybugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts and damage appears as chlorotic spots on the leaves. They tend to congregate together, looking like fluffs of cotton on the foliage. The life cycle takes about 30 days at 80°F.
Dampwood termite soldier Dampwood termites are closely related to drywood termites. However, they are more primitive in habit and appearance. They tend to be larger as well. The soldiers share the trait of toothed mandibles.	Oriental Roach The photo shows the jet black wingless nymph. This roach is often referred to as the sewer roach, as it is found in sewers and in buildings with damp basements. It often climbs water pipes and enters upper floors of buildings. The oriental roach is gregarious and lives in colonies. Females may deposit up to 18 egg capsules (ootheca) usually containing 16 eggs.	Aphids are soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects. They are generally less than 1/8" long and are usually green, but many aphids are black, brown, pink, yellow or blue. Aphids are commonly found on young, developing leaves and stems in clusters or colonies of individuals. Their feeding distorts a plant's new growth, and the leaves curl. Most aphids are wingless, but when colonies become overcrowded, winged forms are produced.
Subterranean and powderpost termite workers Shown here are workers of two different termite families. At the top is a worker, a subterranean termite. Below is a worker of a powderpost termite. Note the larger legs, hairier body and more well-developed antennae in the subterranean worker. These features correlate with the more active foraging style of subterranean termites.		whiteflies whiteflies resemble tiny white moths. However, they are not closely related to moths but are more closely related to scale insects. Whiteflies are only 1/16" long and have four wings. The wings and body are covered with a fine, white powder of wax. Whiteflies have piercing-sucking mouthparts that puncture the leaf and suck the plant juices. Top sides of leaves on infested plants become pale or spotted from the insects feeding on the undersides
Eastern subterranean termite soldier and alate The eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, is one of the foremost wood-destroying insects in the US. Native subterranean termites tend to have very dark alates and soldiers with rectangular heads. The soldiers of subterranean termites are characterized by toothless, sickle-shaped mandibles and a pronotum narrower than the head.
Carpenter bees The carpenter bees of the family Anthophoridae resemble bumblebees in size and appearance. However, the abdomens of carpenter bees are largely bare while those of bumblebees are hairy. Note the well-developed jaws for wood excavation. Although not particularly aggressive, these bees do have well-developed stingers (see lower right), and should be treated with caution.
All Photography by: Joseph A. Smith, University of Florida Copyright © 2003, University of Florida